gayloraura

[gayloraura]

[gayloraura]

i’ve been itching to try and actually figure stuff out in regards to my “take folklore and run with it” thing for a while now, so yesterday i sat down with a blank notebook and started writing in it. the structure is sort of inspired by videos about commonplace books that i’ve watched in the last week or so, but i’m definitely not using it like people typically use commonplace books lol.

i have a “goal” section at the front (after a few pages of blank space for an index), but it’s turned into more of an overview. just stuff about what core characters there are and where they came from, James’ gender (~ambiguous~), what i’ve decided about the town they live in, etc.

then i went through all of betty (the song) and dissected it, basically. starting with a more “swiftie” POV where James and Betty are already in a relationship, he just fully cheated on her, and now he’s begging her to take him back. i got very critical of James here, i understand why swifties hate him so viscerally. to quote myself: (in regards to the second verse) “where it went wrong was when you cheated on her, you prick”.

i decided there was no way i was going with that narrative as it was - James is really painted as an asshole and it would be difficult to find myself wanting them to be together, if i wanted to make a bunch of other songs about them (which is the entire goal of this project, obviously). so i also wrote down my “alternate interpretation”, which more or less the narrative that i originally had in my head when i first heard the song and had no context all. i’m just gonna put everything that i wrote here because this is my favourite part. (with some grammar & vocab edits, because i can properly do that in a digital medium)

James and Betty are in an extremely homoerotic friendship/situationship, and the song is them (mostly James) trying navigate that while also dealing with a homophobic environment.

Inez’s gossip would be more along the lines of “i saw them doing gay stuff with this random girl”.

“the worst thing i ever did” on its own makes me think of some brutal internalized homophobia, but then we get to the second line and it follows up with “was what i did to you”. like it’s been flipped on its head and James knows that it hurt Betty a lot in couple different ways, so they’re saying “it was the worst thing i ever did because it hurt you, not because it was gay”. (i had a bit trouble phrasing that, so hopefully it’s understandable)

the reason James went along with the affair because they were frustrated with the status of the situationship and wanted to get their mind off of Betty. obviously that didn’t work, and they thought about her the entire time. this part is not much different from the vanilla interpretation, but the main difference is that they weren’t official (or even approaching that), so James looks much less like an asshole.

a point i had always been confused about the vanilla interpretation - i might have just been overthinking it, but whatever the case it helps to have an interpretation that makes sense to me. in the bridge, James says he dreams about kissing her (which i always thought kind of sounded like they never had before), but then at the end says “kissing in my car again” (so they have?). i thought it would make sense if in this “alternate” one, they had kissed once (in James’ car), and it made things awkward. maybe shortly before things got weird?

“stupid friends” is an insult to injury for swifties. for me, it means the friends are stupid because they’re homophobic (christians?) like the rest of the school and town (which is great framing for other songs like Love Story). when James says “will you kiss me in front of all your stupid friends”, they’re basically saying “will you care what they think? will you want to be with me out in the open?”. they don’t want to be shoved back into the closet now that they’ve been outed.

lastly, this is more of a nitpick. i’ve always found it strange that a 2 teenagers of the opposite sex would be allowed to spend the night together - i would understand sneaking out (or in?) on occasion, but the song makes it sound like it’s most of the summer. it makes way more sense to me if it was 2 (perceived) girls having sleepovers or something.

[gayloraura]

idk if it was actually this post or not, but i saw at least the gist of this theory a while ago and wanted to try and incorporate it into the whole “take folklore and run with it” thing i’m doing.

Dorothea x Augustine Theory!!!

Something has been bugging me about the resolution to the folklore love triangle.

We know that Augustine doesn't end up with James, but that Taylor does think she deserves to find love in the end. What if she does?

We also don't know who Dorothea's narrator/lover is, and it seems strange to me that Taylor would leave this character completely unnamed, a complete mystery.

But who is the only other character implied to have a happy ending but who's future is left mysteriously open-ended? Augustine.

Disclaimer, I'm aware that evermore is a collection of stories independent from folklore. However, since Taylor has confirmed Dorothea and Augustine attend the same school, I'm assuming they must have known each other somehow. I'll also be explaining how Dorothea's songs from evermore and the love triangle songs from folklore are intertwined.

Buckle up because this is a long one. But it is color coded! And gay! So there's that.

Here's the evidence I've compiled for each song:

Dorothea

damn, Dorothea They all wanna be ya But are you still the same soul I met under the bleachers?

We know that this song is about a high school relationship (and likely ongoing after graduation), meaning it's fully possible for it to be from Augustine's perspective, as her fling with James only lasted for one summer.

Skipping the prom Just to piss off your mom And her pageant schemes

This line implies some sort of disapproval from Dorothea's mom of their relationship, as well as the fact that they couldn't or didn't want to go to prom together. These lines along with the meeting "under the bleachers" adds to the forbidden romance themes that definitely have queer undertones to me. This is also one of the only described relationships that walks the line between romance and friendship, adding to the queercoding.

The 1

Roaring 20s, tossing pennies in the pool And if my wishes came true It would've been you

I feel that the general consensus is that this song is about James. However, couldn't be about Betty and James, since Taylor has explained that they do stay together.

What's more, the "roaring 20's" seems incredibly inconsistent with this theory. It could mean time period, but the phrase refers to the 1920s, which doesn't make sense considering lyrics like "meet some woman on the internet." If it refers to age, it has to be about Dorothea and Augustine, since James and Augustine got together and broke up as teenagers.

Since the tone perfectly matches the mournful longing tone of the previously mentioned song, dorothea; the 1 could be a role reversal. A perspective switch of a jaded Dorothea singing about Augustine after having to leave. Here are some lyrical parallels that drive me insane:

The 1: I guess you never know, you never know

Dorothea: Oh, I guess I'll never know

The 1: I have this dream you're doing cool shit Having adventures on your own

Dorothea: You got shiny friends since you left town A tiny screen's the only place I see you now

'Tis the Damn Season

We could call it even You could call me babe for the weekend

There's so much gay in this song I'm not even sure where to start.

First off, he idea of calling their friend "babe" for the weekend has undeniably sapphic undertones to me. I mean, think about it. Straight crushes doing something like that would be seen as undeniably romantic, with none of the ambiguity and tension from the first Dorothea song. Girl friends calling each other by pet names is something that has probably been the bane of every sapphic's existence at some point. Myself included, obviously.

'Tis the damn season Write this down I'm stayin' at my parents' house

Something about taking very traditional values like the holidays, and cursing them, keeps so well with the theme of small town gays.

As for the following two lines, I don't see these being relevant to the song if not as a warning. We've already unpacked how it's very likely Dorothea's parents don't approve of her close relationship with Augustine. Later in the song, these lines add to that theme:

The holidays linger like bad perfume You can run, but only so far I escaped it too, remember how you watched me leave

Back to the chrous, this interpretation is only exacerbated with the next line:

And the road not taken looks real good now

This is line of the biggest clues to me, and for a couple of reasons. I think it's fairly apparent that the road not taken is an analogy used to describe unconventionality, and it is very often used to reference queerness in that sense. This coincides perfectly with Augustine and Dorothea's secret relationship and how others disapprove.

But this line also serves as more evidence that Augustine and Dorotheas songs are intrinsically linked. This song is very clearly sung from Dorothea's perspective. And in a song very clearly sung from Augustine's perspective, this line shows up.

Illicit Affairs: Take the road less traveled by

To me, this shows the contrast between Augustine leaving her relationship with James to entering (and re-entering) her relationship with Dorothea. James casts Augustine off to take the road by herself, to hide from society's disapproving glare. But Dorothea chooses takes that road with Augustine. Their relationship has Augustine hiding her love once again, but this time she's not alone.

There's an ache in you put there by the ache in me

The central theme in their relationship I've just explained is also very present in this line, as it is in the following song.

Exile

You're not my homeland anymore So what am I defending now? You were my town Now I'm in exile, seein' you out

This song is about Dorothea and Augustine's relationship coming to an end when Dorothea has to leave their town to pursue her dreams. While this song is sung from the perspective of two characters, assumedly representing Dorothea and Augustine, I'll focus mainly on one. From Augustine's perspective, we see her suffer through the same heartbreak that she did when her secret relationship with James came to an end, hence the lines:

I think I've seen this film before And I didn't like the ending

This song proves to me that Dorothea and the folklore love triangle must be connected, there's no denying that the lyrical parallels between Dorothea's songs and exile are unmistakable.

Exile: To pack us up and leave me with it

'Tis the Damn Season: To leave the warmest bed I've ever known

Exile: You're not my homeland anymore / You were my town

'Tis the Damn Season: It always leads to you in my hometown

Exile: Like he's just your understudy

Dorothea: And you'll go on with the show

Exile: Second, third, and hundredth chances

Dorothea: It's never too late to come back to my side

Exile: Those eyes add insult to injury

Dorothea: The stars in your eyes shined brighter in Tupelo

Exile: You didn't even hear me out

'Tis the Damn Season: Now I'm missing your smile, hear me out

Since dorothea and 'tis the damn season take place after exile, this song is here to establish the cracks that broke down their relationship in the past and how they are mended in later songs.

Gold Rush

What must it be like to grow up that beautiful? With your hair falling into place like dominoes My mind turns your life into folklore I can't dare to dream about you anymore

I'll say it, this might be the most queercoded song on the album. The theme of envious attraction, being unable to tell if you want someone or want to be them, and having to hide from your feelings all the while because you know you can never truly have a future with them... I cannot be the only one who sees it.

To me, this is about when Augustine first starts developing feelings for Dorothea. I've seen people argue that if this is connected to the folklore love triangle, that it must be Augustine singing about James. However, the only connection the evermore songs have to folklore Taylor has specified is the character of Dorothea, so it doesn't make sense for there to be an evermore track about two characters from folklore.

I don't like anticipating my face in a red flush I don't like that anyone would die to feel your touch Everybody wants you Everybody wonders what it would be like to love you

The love interest being this attractive character that everyone is drawn to makes perfect sense for Dorothea, as we know she eventually moves to Los Angeles and becomes a star.

Not only must this song be about Dorothea, but being the only song that directly references folklore heavily implies that is must be connected to one of its characters in some way, namely Augustine.

I see me padding 'cross your wooden floors With my Eagles t-shirt hanging from the door At dinner parties I call you out on your contrarian shit And the coastal town we wandered 'round had never seen a love as pure as it And then it fades into the gray of my day old tea 'Cause you know it could never be

The most curious part of the song is that when the narrator finally allows herself to imagine a future with the person she loves, she quickly remind herself that "it could never be," and that the object of her affections knows this as well.

All that the narrator, Augustine, wants is to have a comfortable and happy future with Dorothea, but she cannot bring herself to imagine the two of them ever finding this coastal town that sees their love as "pure." This hopeless and resigned tone about her assumedly unrequited love and unattainable dreams is exacerbated in the final chorus when the lyrics change to "the coastal town we never found will never see a love as pure as it."

Also, I feel the need to point out a few lyrical parallels because:

Gold Rush: Walk past, quick brush

'Tis the Damn Season: It's the kind of cold, fogs up windshield glass But I felt it when I passed you

Gold Rush: My mind turns your life into folklore I can't dare to dream about you anymore

Dorothea: I have this dream you're doing cool shit Having adventures on your own

Gold Rush: And the coastal town we wandered 'round 

'Tis the Damn Season: And it always leads to you in my hometown

Invisible String

Green was the color of the grass Where I used to read at Centennial Park I used to think I would meet somebody there

Anddd we're at the final song! Fittingly, I believe this song is from the perspective of Dorothea after she and Augustine reunite, wrapping up their story with a happy ending.

And in true full-circle Taylor Swift fashion, their story ends the same way it starts, with Centennial Park. If you don't recall, dorothea starts with these lines:

Dorothea: Hey Dorothea, do you ever stop and think about me? When we were younger, down in the park

And this isn't the only recall to Dorothea's evermore songs. Almost every line in this song references a line in one of the previous songs that I've analyzed!

Teal was the color of your shirt When you were sixteen at the yogurt shop

Remember the "eagles t-shirt" from gold rush? Taylor confirmed this was a deliberate reference to the Philadelphia eagles, who's team color is teal. Again, this song could only be about dorothea's narrator, Augustine, as gold rush is from evermore while invisible string is from folklore, and Dorothea is the sole connection between the two albums.

Gave me no compasses, gave me no signs Were there clues I didn't see?

This is a direct parallel to exile, where Dorothea laments over how Augustine "never gave a warning sign." But now the tone has shifted, and she readily admits that maybe she had missed the signs all along, and looks back on the nature of their relationship as fateful rather than chaotic.

All along there was some Invisible string Tying you to me

Sound familiar? Even though Dorothea has tried to leave in the past, time and time again, it always leads back to Augustine and their hometown.

On your first trip to LA You ate at my favorite spot for dinner

In the end, it seems like Dorothea does end up leaving back to LA, like she says at the end of 'tis the damn season. But this line implies that the leaving wasn't necessarily marking a bad ending to their relationship. It implies that Augustine comes with her, and they finally get that coastal town they had always wanted but never thought they could have. Outside of the pressure of their small town, they can finally host their dinner parties and voice their contrarian bullshit.

Bold was the waitress on our three year trip Getting lunch down by the lakes She said I looked like an American singer

To me, this line solidifies the idea that this folklore song is about Dorothea. No other character in either of the albums is implied to be famous and have a performance career, which narrows the possibilities to just about one person. And this "three year trip" makes perfect sense for Dorothea, who Augustine says never liked the stuffiness of their hometown.

Chains around my demons, wool to brave the seasons One single thread of gold tied me to you

"Wool to brave the seasons" seems to me like a reference to not only 'tis the damn season, but the album cover of evermore as well.

The color of the invisible string that ties the two together being gold also seems to be a reference to gold rush. The East Asian folk myth the song is based off of describes a red string, not a gold one. So if the color were to be changed, it would have to have been very deliberate. And this theory is only reinforced with the next line:

Gold was the color of the leaves When I showed you around Centennial Park Hell was the journey but it brought me heaven

Another reference to gold, and another reference to Centennial Park. The description paints a picture of the so called gold rush that Augustine had been trying to avoid, being finally embraced by the two of them.

The song offers one final parallel to close this analysis off:

'Tis the Damn Season: But if it's okay with you, it's okay with me

Invisible String: And it's cool, baby, with me

Thank you so much for sticking with me for this whole analysis! I would love to hear what theories or criticisms you guys have as well.

I did make the songs out of chronological order for a smoother analysis, but if you're confused about the timeline, here's a playlist I made of all the songs I find to be part of their story, including some that I have not analyzed here. It starts with James and Augustine's relationship in mirrorball, and continues from there in chronological order.

[gayloraura]

probably going to be a very unpopular (and long) post, but whatever here goes (scroll to the very bottom for a tldr):

i’ve been a die hard fan and supporter of @taylorswift since pretty much the start of her career. i’ve loved everything she stood for, i loved her music, her representation for women and the queer community.

however, these past few months since the unyielding g*nocide of palestinians committed by israhell has only grown, documented and shared to the world by palestinians themselves, taylor’s silence is now becoming deafening. those tears she cried for women’s rights in miss americana, the way she urged her fans to register to vote so women don’t lose their rights, where is that woman now? where is That taylor when there are women being k*lled, SA’d, miscarrying, having to use tent scraps as sanitary pads, becoming childless, being ethnically cleansed off this earth? where is her avocation for Those women? and not just palestinian women, but women in other colonized countries as well.

she has not spoken up since miss americana about anything that she has previously advocated for, not just women’s rights, but LGBTQ+ rights as well. when queer and trans people have been losing their rights across the u.s., where was she?

i know a lot of people will say “she was protecting herself,” but she is one of the most powerful and influential women in this world, what could she possibly need protection from? she is a white privileged billionaire, and when her fans are asking that she speak up about this g*nocide, she chooses to ignore us.

and i don’t want to hear that she doesn’t owe us an explanation, because she absolutely does. it is us, her fans, that support her in her career financially, we care about the content she puts out into the world and we spend our money on it, we elevate her voice and her art, so why do we not deserve to know if she supports palestinian? why does she not in return listen to and elevate the voices of her fans?

there have been countless artists and celebs who’ve spoken up for and supported palestine—lauren juaregui, kehlani, renee rapp, macklemore, avantika, and more—who are much smaller than taylor swift, and yet their careers have not been impacted negatively, instead they have even more support of those who do not condone this g*nocide. her career will absolutely not be impacted by showing her support, so again, why does she continue to be silent?

i am tired of hearing nothing but silence from taylor. i don’t want to support someone who is okay with thousands of people being k*lled, who is okay with the starvation that 1.4 million palestinians are facing, who is okay with palestinian men being tortured in concentration camps, who is okay with 600,000+ children and orphans trapped in rafah, all by the doing of colonizers, the western powers, and by our own president.

tldr; i am calling taylor swift out for being a hypocrite these last few years, and especially these last few months, when it comes to advocating for women and her silence in the g*nocide of the palestinian people. she really could have made a difference with the power she holds. @taylorswift @taylornation

i’m not very active on here, but i will not be posting taylor content, and on the occasions that i do post, it will be to advocate for palestinians, as well as those who openly support the cause. (i am much more active on my other social media accounts, and if you would like to follow to see more constant palestine content, please let message me and let me know!)

LESBIANS FOR A FREE PALESTINE ALWAYS! from the river to the sea 🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸

(artwork: lollibeepop on twitter)

[gayloraura]

about a week ago i had the idea to come up with an overarching, fictional (and super gay, obviously) narrative, reminiscent of folkmore for taylor's music. detachment from real muses being one of the main motivations. i haven't stopped thinking about it since.

the main thing i realized in the meantime is that instead of making up the entire thing out of thin air, i can actually start with folkmore and expand out from there to connect it with the rest of her discography (and beyond?). right now i'm running with james as the main narrator, but that could very easily change. i haven't even really figured him out as a character yet. (the only thing i know is that i'm not making him a cis guy LOL)

the idea as a whole is still very incomplete, and very much just that - an idea. it's gonna take a fair amount of work yet to turn it into anything substantial, never mind as expansive and all-encompassing as i envision it being.

[gayloraura]

Nothing says “I’m fine, everything’s fine. I’m not uncomfortable with these two half naked boys… ” like an awkward thumbs up and panicked eyes. 😂

[gayloraura]

I can’t imagine saying Gay Pride makes me, me and having the general public saying I’m straight and fighting to claim my “straightness”

[gayloraura]

[gayloraura]

listening to seven. there’s a lot of arguments over whether it’s okay to have queer interpretations of taylor swift’s music. but there’s nothing you can do to erase the connection queer people have to her music.

this song in particular makes it hard for me to breathe. it makes me think about my complicated relationship with my mother. it makes me think about the love i have for my significant other. the people i’ve known that felt or were unsafe in their homes because of the love they felt. it makes me think of my journey.

let queer people live and feel seen. let us feel excited our history is being acknowledged, celebrated, and passed down like folk songs.

[gayloraura]

the hate a lot of swifties hold for gaylors is honestly nauseating. the vast majority of gaylors aren't accusing taylor of queerbaiting, pressuring her to come out or saying she's any sexuality for sure. most of them are just pointing out how there seem to be queer themes and signals within taylor's music, which BY THE WAY is how queer people have communicated and found each other, forever.

how can you possibly think that is invasive? how can you say that gaylors are disgusting? how can you be so cruel to somebody who simply wants to find relatability in art they love?

[gayloraura]

evermore aesthetic: dorothea

and damn, Dorothea they all wanna be ya but are you still the same soul I met under the bleachers?

[gayloraura]

Hetlors: They’re just friends omg!!

Gaylors: “I hate accidents except when we went from friends to this”

Hetlors: Don’t sexualize her friendships!

Gaylors: “I don’t want you like a best friend”

Hetlors: Stop speculating on her sexuality!!

Gaylors: “I want *her* midnights”

Hetlors: She only says stuff like that to make gay people feel included!!

Gaylors: “She is the best thing that’s ever been mine”

Hetlors: She’s dated men publicly!!

Gaylors: “I loved you in secret”

Hetlors: She’s dated LOTS of men publicly!!!

Gaylors: “Privacy sign on the door / And on my page and on the whole world / Romance is not dead if you keep it just yours”

Hetlors: She likes men!!!

Gaylors: “All the boys and their expensive cars…never took me quite where you do”

Hetlors: You’re delulu if you think any of her lyrics are gay!!!

Gaylors: “I swear you could hear a hairpin drop”

Hetlors: The garden gate is at Joe’s parent’s house!!!!

Gaylors: “I don’t wanna keep secrets just to keep you”

Hetlors: She’s straight jesus christ!!!

Gaylors: “Can’t walk straight / Can’t talk straight”

Hetlors: She’s on top of the world! She doesn't have to hide anything!!

Gaylors: “For you I would fall from grace”

Hetlors: She has to HIDE from the MEDIA because PAPARAZZI!!

Gaylors: “We’re a crooked love in a straight line down”

Hetlors: Look how PUBLIC and HAPPY and HETERO she is with Travis!!

Gaylors: “All these people think love’s for show / but I would die for you in secret”

Hetlors: Read her lyrics!!

Gaylors: “The lips I used to call home / so scarlet it was maroon”

Hetlors: Bearding isn’t real!!!

Gaylors: “I used to switch out these Kens / I’d just ghost”

Hetlors: Queer flagging isn’t a thing!!!!

Gaylors: “Takes one to know one”

Hetlors: Saying she dated Harry and Joe and Jake isn’t speculating on her sexuality because that’s NORMAL!!!!

Gaylors: “We broke the status quo and then we broke each other’s hearts”

Hetlors: It’s only okay to speculate on her sexuality when it’s straight!!!!

Gaylors: “So we went on our way / too in love to think straight”

Hetlors: She would tell us if she was gay!!!!!

Gaylors: “So I wander through these nights / I prefer hiding in plain sight”

Hetlors: It’s FICTIONAL!!!

Gaylors: “I loved you in spite of / deep fears that the world would divide us”

Hetlors: THE PROLOGUE!!!!!

Gaylors: “TRUTH IS I CAN’T PRETEND IT’S PLATONIC”

Hetlors: SHE HASN’T SAID SHE’S GAY SO SHE’S NOT GAY!!!!!!

Gaylors: “SHADE NEVER MADE ANYBODY LESS GAY!”

Hetlors: I HATE GAYS SO SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UPPPPP!!!!!!!

Gaylors:

Gaylors:

Gaylors:

Gaylors: “Haven’t you heard what becomes of curious minds?”

[gayloraura]

Interesting including Taylor in there, Grindr. 👀

[gayloraura]

okay so. apparently i never posted anything about it here, but a while ago i started creating this “community wiki” thing called the hairpinfiles. the idea was that people could submit theories, evidence, song analyses, whatever - and it would become an archive of sorts (a gaylor google, if you will).

i made it with obsidian (markdown, aka plain text), git, and tried various static site generators. and i did it that way because that was what i knew. nobody has interacted with it at all, partly because i have very little reach (twitter) and partly because the people that did see it didn’t understand how to use it.

all that is fine, good even. because i realized last night that the “wiki” format doesn’t fit very well with this sort of project. you know what does? a tumblr blog.

[gayloraura]

are we surprised that theyre naming taylor swift person of the year to mask the fact that Palestinians are being bombed and killed every day? no.

[gayloraura]

Lesbians in a tuxedo never go out of style 😉

[gayloraura]

taylor swift girl kisser taylor swift gay